The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands urged the public to avoid spreading “unverified information,” after reports alleging that a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship carrying passengers believed to have been exposed to the new Coronavirus, suggested that the ship was recently docked in Bahamian waters.

On Friday, the Daily Mail reported that four passengers from the Anthem of the Seas were rushed to a hospital for Coronavirus testing after the cruise ship docked in New York harbour.

Several other international publications also alleged that the cruise ship, which carried 27 Chinese nationals held in quarantine, docked in Bayonne, New Jersey on Friday morning after sailing from the Bahamas.

Categorising the report as a “non-story,” Dr Sands said that it was unfortunate that misinformation circulates so quickly.

He also told The Tribune that contrary to reports, the vessel in question last docked in the country on January 2.

“Under the advice of our technical team, led by the chief medical officer, we have put in place very robust public health interventions,” he said.

“We are satisfied that those interventions have been widely circulated to all of the stakeholders and all of the agencies to protect the public’s health and it’s unfortunate that these fake news stories take legs so quickly.”

Dr Sands also took to the social media Facebook site to bring clarity to the issue.

“There is a report circulating that the Anthem of the Seas was allegedly in the Bahamas prior to a trip to New Jersey,” he said in a statement.

“It is further suggested that persons on board are thought to be suffering from Coronavirus infections. The Anthem of the Seas has not been in the Bahamas for more than a month. The last time it docked was January 2,2020. The persons on board are suffering from Influenza A. Please avoid sharing unverified information.”

In a tweet, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, explained that officials from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) boarded the ship to screen the 27 passengers he said had “recently travelled from mainland China."

According to Mr Murphy, 23 of the passengers examined were cleared, while four individuals were taken to hospital for further evaluation.

Addressing the news reports in a press statement, Russell Benford, Royal Caribbean's vice-president of government affairs, said the company was appreciative of the “abundance of caution” the CDC exhibited with the matter.

“We understand CDC intends to test samples from four guests for coronavirus,” the statement read.

“None of the four guests showed any clinical signs or symptoms of coronavirus while they were onboard our ship. One had tested positive onboard for Influenza A.

“Our records indicate the guests had not been in China since January 26 –14 days ago. All other guests have been permitted to disembark as usual. We have also been cleared by authorities to depart on our next cruise as usual.

“However, to reassure concerned guests, we will delay our departure until tomorrow, when we expect to receive conclusive test results from CDC.”

To date, there are 31,535 confirmed cases of coronavirus globally and 638 reported deaths, mostly recorded in China.

Locally, there have been no confirmed or suspected cases of the new coronavirus in the country according to officials. On latest update, the Ministry of Health said 15 residents were currently in quarantine.

None of the individuals being monitored have any symptoms of the virus.